The giver
The Giver is a book about a little boy who at the age of eleven is given the job of the receiver. Jonas is his name he lives in a Ethiopian world. Everyone has rules and must obey them or follow very strict consequences. Jonas lives with his mother, father an baby sister Lily. the book begins on how Jonas is remembering each birthday. All the children birthday born in that year are celebrated in December. On their first birthday they are given their name and age nine they are given a bicycle. Jonas needs to be trained to be the Receiver and no one has ever seen him only heard of him. Jonas starts his session's because he must receive all the information that the receiver has. The truth is that he knows the truth about the community he lives in and the outside reality. Jonas is not happy with this and at the end after he has received all the information he gets he decides to run away with Gabriel. Gabriel is a little boy who they are going to kill because he is not healthy and weighs less than he should.
The giver is truly an amazing book that is written so well. I have read this book a couple of times and every time I enjoy like its the first. Lois Lowry is a wonderful Author and has won two Newberry Medals. she was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Lowry is the mother of Four. The giver is one of my favorite books from when I was little. It is also very sad many of the things mentioned in the book that they do to the babies and why they kill them.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. China: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. 22o pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Contemporary Fantasy. Language: English My side of the mountain
This is a survival story about an eleven year old boy who lives in New York. He lives in a small apartment with both his parents and eleven siblings. Sam is tired of living in the city. so one day he leaves and starts a new life in a tree in the woods by Gribley's old house in the woods. Sam learns how to hunt for food and start a fire. He also trains a falcon and name her Fightful. Frightful is his companion and helps him hunt for food. While living in the woods he meets a man who he believes is a criminal but it turns out he is a professor who gets lost. Sam helps him and feeds him. Sam learns to eat wildflowers, rabbit, venison, deer meat, frogs, turtles and he even finds carrots and wild potatoes and of course nuts. at the end of the story his whole family goes in search for him so they can too live in the woods.
This is truly a wonderful survival story. Jean Graighead George has a wonderful imagination. George's book On the other side of the mountain is a Newberry Honor book. I really enjoyed this book it was very interesting her style of writing is very unique and I believe that children would really enjoy reading this book. It would be a wonderful book to use for literature circles. The ending was a little sad because he was living alone so well he manages to survive all winter long.
George, Jean Craighead. My side of the Mountain. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. 192 pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Survival story. Language: English Meet Josefina an American Girl The story is about an American girl named Josefina, who lived in New Mexico, in the 1800’s. In that century New Mexico was part of Mexico and not the U.S.A. Josefina is a young girl who lost her mother. The story starts off when Josefina and her three older sisters’ were washing clothes and reminiscing about their mother. Then tia Dolores comes to visit them and they all get happy. Josefina is extra happy because she feels a connection with their mother. At the end of the story it is time for tia Dolores to continue with the caravan and all the girls are sad she is leaving. They ask their father to ask her to stay for a few months to teach them how to cook, clean, and the two middle sisters how to get along. Tia Dolores tells them that she must continue until she reaches Santa Fe, because she has not seen her mother in ten years but she promises them to return. This is a beautiful story about a young Mexican girl who has lost her mother. It is beautiful because it incorporates historical facts about the way life was in the 1800’s. Josefina is a courageous girl who can inspire the children of today. The author is Valerie Tripp, she is married and with children. Valerie lives in Maryland but goes to New Mexico to get inspired and write more Josefina books. Valerie writes other books about American girls collection. Valerie has been named March of Dimes Mother of the Year has won International Reading Association, 1987, for Meet Molly: An American Girl, and the Children's Choice Award. Tripp, Valerie. Meet Josefina an American Girl. United States of America: Pleasant Company, 1997. 85 pages. Ages 8-12. Genre: Historical Fiction. Language: English. The lord of the flies The lord of the flies is about a group of boys whose plan crashes on an island with no adult survivors. The first boys that find each other are Ralph and piggy. Ralph finds a conch and blows on it to find who else has survived. The boys start a fire and find food. One group governed by jack who is very aggressive and hunts pigs for food. Ralph with the help of piggy govern the rest of the boys and eat fruit and plants from trees. At the end Jack and his gang kill Piggy and are after Ralph to kill him too but that’s when a Navy officer discovers them because Jack set the island on fire. This is a really good book. It is a perfect book to talk about humanities and what does it actually mean. The book has many double meanings that one must decode to fully understand the book. It is explicit about certain things. I would recommend it for older high school children. Golding received the 'Booker Prize' for his novel Rites of Passage. He was born in 1911 and died I 1993. The Lord of the Flies was the first novel he ever wrote. Golding, William. The Lord of the Flies. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, a Division of Penguin-Putnam, 1954. 208 pages. Ages 13- up. Genre: Young adult. Language: English Borreguita and coyote Is a Mexican folk tale about a borreguita who outsmarts the coyote over and over until finally, the coyote learns his lesson.. The coyote wants to eat borreguita but she tricks. First she tells him that she is too skinny, let her eat more to get nice and thick. Then she tells him that cheese tastes much better why not eat that. But it was actually a reflection of the moon. The next time she tells him that the mountain is falling if he could hold it while she goes to get help. The last time she asks him to eat her whole and she crashes into him knocking him out. This is a really nice folk tale retold by Verna Aardema. It takes place in Ayutla, Mexico, which is a little city in Mexico. Aardema is a picture book author. She has received the Caldecott medal for three of the books she has written. Aardema Lives in Florida along with her husband. Aardema is famous for retelling folk tales especially African American folk tales. I would definitely recommend this book to early elementary teachers. The moral of the story is really nice. The children would love to see how the borreguita outsmarts a coyote. Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and Coyote.New York: Random House Inc., 1991. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Traditional literature. Language: English Neighborhood Odes The book is about different poems that relate to the authors neighborhood. The poems are based on a Mexican community. It has a poem about anything you can imagine in that community. It has one on raspas, la tortilla, sprinkler, perrito, a wedding, family pictures, and el molcajete to name a few. My favorite is ode to pomegranates. It is written with so much description and I can vividly imagine what the author is saying. He also uses a lot of comparing and the poems do not rhyme but they contain a story. The author Gary Soto was born in Fresno California. He writes adult poems. Soto has recieved many awards for his work, to name a few he has received Tomás Rivera Prize, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association. He has also written the libretto for an opera and produced a movie. This is a really nice book that contains many childhood memories of Soto. I would definitely recommend this book to teachers. It can used to read out loud.
Soto, Gary. Neighborhood Odes. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 2005. 68 pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Poetry. Language: English
10 Patitos de Goma The book is a story about rubber ducks. It is based on a true story. In 1992 a shipment of 29,000 rubber ducks and animals fell in the ocean. The book starts the story by how the rubber ducks are made in a factory, packed into a box of ten, and shipped on a boat overseas. In the middle of the ocean there is a storm and one box falls over board and lets out ten rubber duck’s. The ducks all swim away indifferent locations but the last one is left there alone until a mother duck and her ducklings find him and take him to their nest. Eric Carle is a wonderful author and illustrator. His stories are full of creativity and imagination. I really like this book it is written in Spanish. The translation is not the best but the story is wonderful. Eric received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 2003 for this book The book even has a little button to press and hear the tenth rubber ducky say “quack.” I would definitely recommend this book to a teacher. Carle, Eric. 10 Patitos de goma.China: Harper Collins, 2005. 36 pages. Ages 2-6. Genre: Picture book. Language: Spanish
Don’t bump the Glump! Don’t bump the Glump is Shel Silverstein’s first poetry collection. The poems are silly and contain made up creatures. The poems may be two sentences long or two pages. The poems rhyme and are full of imagination. The first poem “glump” is about a glump who is wild and is coming home late at night and at the end it warns you not to bump the glump. Shel Silverstein wrote many poetry books and children picture books. He was born in Chicago on September 30, 1930 he passed away in May 1999. He wrote songs, he was a cartoonist, wrote plays and a performer. He won a Grammy for a song he composed. He was truly an amazing author. I really enjoyed his book The giving tree. The story has a really nice moral to it. I would recommend this book as a must have in the classroom. It is a good book to get the children to laugh. Silverstein, Shel. Don’t Bump the Glump. New York: Harper Collins, 1992. 64 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Poetry. Language: English
Tales of a fourth grade nothing Tales of a fourth grade nothing is about a fourth grader named Peter. Peter has an annoying little three-year-old brother named fudge. Fudge is always bothering Peter and getting him in trouble. In the beginning Peter wins a pet turtle, which he names Dribble. It seems like Fudge is always getting away with everything. He messes with Mr. and Mrs. Juicy-o. He even wants to eat like a dog, so his dad tells him “eat it or wear it.” Then one day their father takes them to his job and Fudge is selected to be in their bicycle commercial. Fudge will not get on unless Peter gets on. At the end of the story Peter comes home from school and finds out that fudge ate his turtle. They immediately take him to the hospital and Fudge is ok except Dribbles is dead. Peter’s parents buy him a dog he names Turtle. Judy Blume wrote this book in 1972 and this is the first book of the collection of Fudge. Judy Blume writes books for children but she has written three adult novels, which have been on the New York best sellers list. This is really nice story for young children to read. Many children can relate to Peter and probably feel the same way about their little brother or sister. Every child who I have asked about this book has told me they love it. I think its because they can relate to Peter. I would do a read aloud and every day read it for twenty minutes. Then I would have a short discussion. Blume, Judy. Tales of a fourth grade nothing. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972. 120 pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction. Language: English
Youth in sexual ecstasy This book is about a young man named Efren who likes to party and sleep around with women. In the beginning Efren goes to see a sex therapist, which turns out to be his father. Efren keeps going back to him because he helps him realize that his sex life is not a healthy way of living. Efren falls in love with Dhamar, Dr. Asaf’s secretary. The problem is Dhamar is a sweet innocent girl and Efren is not use to that kind of girl. With the help of Dr Asaf, Efren is able to change and marries Dhamar. This book is originally written in Spanish, it was translated into English in 1997. Carlos Cuahtemoc is a Mexican author who writes books that transform lives. He was born in 1964. He writes books about family, forgiveness, faith and character. This is my favorite book by Sanchez there is a part two. Sanchez won el Premio Nacional de la Juventud en literatura given to him by the president of México. I would definitely recommend this book to all young adults. The message is very powerful. Sanchez, Carlos Cuahtemoc. Youth in sexual ecstasy. Mexico: Topeka Bindery, 1997. 190 pages. Ages 15 and up. Genre: young adult. Language: English
Emily Lopez
1. Good night, Gorilla
Good Night, Gorilla is a picture book that contains only a few words throughout the story. The setting is at the zoo and the night guard is saying good night to the gorilla. While the guard is walking away the gorilla manages to takes the keys and unlocks the door to his cage. He decides to follow the guard as he says good night to each animal. As the guard says good night the monkey is unlocking the cage of each animal. The lion, giraffe, elephant, armadillo, and hyena all follow the guard back to his room to sleep with him and his wife. The wife hears the animals and takes them all back to their cage and onl;y returns with the gorilla.
Peggy Rathmann was born in 2953 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Peggy wrote Good Night Gorilla in 1994. Good Night Gorilla was on the Chicago Public Library, Best Books of the Year list, 1995. She also did the illustrations for the book. Rathmann Has received the Caldecott award and Publishers Weekly Cuffies Awards. I really enjoyed this book the story is very cute and I would definitely recommend it to primary classroom teacher. My favorite book by Rathmann is Ruby the copycat. Peggy has a unique way of writing; she is inspired by people or animals she has known.
Rathmann, Peggy. Good, Night, Gorilla. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994. 34 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture book. Language: English
2. StellaLuna
StellaLuna is a beautiful story about a baby bat who is adopted by a family of birds. One night Stellaluna and her mother were flying together in search for food but an owl attacked them and Stellauna fell onto a limb and into the birds nest. The birds were very welcoming the mother bird fed Stellaluna and allowed her to sleep there. Stellaluna was different from the birds and she tried to teach the birds how to sleep hanging upside down and mother bird got really upset. Mother bird told Stellaluna that was wrong and that if she wanted to continue to live there then she must obey the rules. One day Stellaluna goes flying far, far away and looses the birds. This is when she finds her family and discovers her mother is alive. Stellaluna is very happy and so is her mother. Stellaluna is very thankful of her bird family and goes back to visit and show them how Bats sleep upside down and that they can see at night.
Janell Cannon was inspired to write when she did a reading program about bats, spiders, Komodo dragons, and snakes for a public library. When she went in search for books on bats she found out there was only 2 and that they were out of print. Cannon decided to write Stellaluna in 1993; her intention was to transform children’s terror of bats into affection. And make children aware that not all bats eat blood. Cannon has 2 other books Verdi and Trump. Stellaluna is a sad story that has a happy ending. The story that Cannon has created to inform children about bats is beautiful. I would consider this book a must have in any teachers library. It is also incorporates Stellaluna being adopted by a family of birds. This would be a great story to show how even animals adopt other babies that are not of the same race. I did a read aloud to a class of kindergartener’s with this book and they loved it. They all listened attentively and enjoyed how the story ended.
Cannon, Janell. Stellaluna. San Diego: Harcourt Inc, 1993. 46 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture story book. Language: English
3. Whose mouse are you?
This is a wonderful story that about a mouse and his family. The story is asking where his mother, father, sister and brother are. The mouse explains that his mother is inside the cat, his father is in a trap, his sister is far from home and he has no brother. Then he says he is going to shake his mother out of the cat, free his father, find his sister and wish for a brother. At the end the mouse tells how he is his mother’s, father’s, sister and now brother’s mouse too.
Robert Kaus wrote this book in 1970. Kaus is a wonderful author and illustrator. Before he became an author and illustrator Kraus was a cartoonist for The New Yorker. He has written Leo the Late bloomer, which I believe is a must have for any kindergarten teacher. The story Whose Mouse are you, has a wonderful family message. The mouse didn’t have a brother and he said he was going to get one and he did. The story is very short and it rhymes. The illustrations are fantastic.
Kaus, Robert. “Whose mouse are you? New York: Simon and shuster books for young readers, 2005. 40 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture book. Language: English
4. Sing, Pierrot, Sing
The story is about pierrot and how he day dreams about the princess all day. He decides to write a song for her. He cuts a rose from a tree and he plans to take it to her while he sings her his song. He patiently waits for night to come. Under the moonlight Pierrot sings to her and is accompanied by the cat, rabbit and dog. The people from the village hear him singing and they all go see. The princess comes out but to pierrot surprise as he throws her the rose the prince catches it. Pierrot gets really sad. He decides to climb up to the moon and sit on it but then the village people see him. They all go near the moon and sing his song to cheer him up. Then he decides to come down and dance along.
Tomie dePaola was born in 1934 in Connecticut. Tomie has illustrated more than 200 books. Tommie has written a third of them. Tomie has published his books in over 15 countries. Tomie has also designed greeting cards, posters, magazine, catalog covers, and has done illustrations for other events. The book Sing, Pierrot, Sing contains no words. It was illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Tomie illustrated the story and did a really good job. I would recommend this book to older children who can read and understand the pictures.
DePaola, Tomie. Sing, Perriot, Sing. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983. 28 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture book. Language: None
5. Nappy Hair
Nappy hair is about a little girl named Brenda and her nappy hair. The story takes place in a backyard family picnic. Brenda’s uncle Mordecai told the story of how Brenda’s hair is the most nappiest, kinkiest, twisted, fuzziest, knotted up, tangled up, and twisted hair he has ever seen. It is a beautiful story, the uncle explains why god gave her that hair and how it is the most beautiful hair anyone has ever seen. At the end of the story everyone at the picnic wants her nappy hair.
Carolivia Herron has received the Paterson Prize in 1998 for the young people from poetry center, Marion Vanett Ridgeway a 1998 Honor book Award and Parenting Magazine in 1998 Reading Magic Award. Nappy Hair is told in the traditional African American Call and response. This is a magical book that is full of pride both in family and in Brenda’s heritage. I would definitely recommend this book the massage it has is very powerful. This is a wonderful book that a teacher can use to integrate multicultural. It is an excellent way for student of other ethnicities to understand why African Americans have their hair the way they do.
Herron, Carolivia. Nappy Hair. New York: Dragonfly Books, 1997. 32 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture story book. Language: English
6. Bullfrog at the Magnolia Circle
This book explains the life cycle of a bullfrog through a story. It tells how bullfrogs eat crayfish, sphinx moth and baby cricket frogs. At one point in the story the bullfrog is going to be eaten by a heron but a raccoon scares away the heron and the bullfrog by dropping the lid of a can. Bullfrog then begins his search for a mate he does this by croaking but first he must find a spot for his mate to lay her eggs. He chooses a water lily. Bullfrog will continue to croak until he is chosen.
Deborah Dennard I could not find any information about Deborah. I was able to see that she writes non-fiction book about animals. She has a series of animal books called Our Wild World. In these books she gives the characteristics of the animals. I really did not like this book; I believe that it’s for middle school aged children. The illustrations were nice but the story was explicit. I did not like how the bullfrog ate a baby cricket frog. I would not recommend this book to other teachers.
Dennard, Deborah. Bullfrog at the Magnolia Circle. Connecticut: Soundprints division of Trudy Corporation, 2002. 32 Pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: picture story book. Language: English
7. Let’s read about George Washington
This is the story of George Washington. George was born in 1732 in Virginia. George grew up on a farm. George had a lot brothers and sisters. He especially looked up to his older brother Lawrence. George was homeschooled. When George was 16 he went to live with his brother Lawrence. When George was 17 his job was to measure land using special tools. George fought against France and won the war. In 1759 He married Martha Custis. They moved to Mount Vernon. In 1775 George fought against England to free the thirteen colonies and in 1783 they won. George Washington became the first President of the United States in 1789. He is now known as the father of our country.
Kimberly Weinberger wrote this book in 2002 it is part of a series by scholastic. She is not a well known author; therefore I could not find information about her. I really loved this book she gave a very good biography on George Washington. Anyone could definitely benefit from reading this book. The book is an easy read chapter book. I like how she told the story of George Washington and in the end included how he is known as the father of our country. I would definitely recommend this book.
Weinberger, Kimberly. Let’s read about George Washington. New York: Scholastics, 2002. 29 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Non-Fiction. Language: English
8. Strega Nona
Strega Nona is a tale about an old lady who is a “grandma witch.” She cured people from headaches, made special potions for young women to find husbands and got rid of warts. One day she decided she was getting to old and needed someone to help her with the chores. She decided to place an ad help wanted. Big Anthony saw it and went to see her. Strega Nona hired him instantly and told him what his responsibilities were. She warned him never touch the pasta bowl. Big Anthony never paid much attention and one day he seen how Strega Nona sang to the magic pot and it would cook pasta. He went and told everyone in town but they all laughed at him. Then one day Strega Nona went o visit a friend and left him there all alone she reminded him not to tough the pasta pot and left. Big Anthony did not listen and began to make food for everyone. The town was amazed. He sang to the pot so it would stop and it wasn’t working, Big Anthony missed when Strega Nona blew 3 kisses in order for the pot to stop. Just then Strega Nona came and seen what was going on. She sang the song and blew three kisses and the pot stopped. The town wanted to hang him but Strega Nona said no Big Anthony must eat it all before bedtime. And he did.
Strega Nona is retold by Tomie dePaola and is also illustrated by him. Tomie is of Italian and Irish parents. Strega Nona is a tale of an Italian witch who possesses magical powers. This is also a wonderful book to integrate multicultural into the curriculum. The tale of an Italian witch is funny and educational. The moral is to pay attention to what people tell you and obey the rules. Big Anthony did not listen and wanted to show off he could do magic too, but to his surprise he did not do it right and Strega Nona found out. The story is really nice and the illustrations are so vivid.
DePaola, Tomie. Strega Nona. New York: Aladdin, 1975. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Traditional Literature. Language English
9. Amelia Bedelia
Amelia Bedelia’s first day at work, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have left a list of things to do. They tell her to do exactly what the list says and she does. Amelia Bedelia decides that she wants to surprise them with lemon-meringue pie. Then she begins with the list. Change the green bathroom towels so she decides to cut them. Next dust the furniture, Amelia finds a box of dusting powder and puts it allover the furniture. Then she must draw the drapes when the sun comes down. Amelia gets a pad and draws them. Then she reads put out the lights, so Amelia takes the bulbs and puts them out to air out. When Mr. and Mrs. Rogers get home they are in for a surprise. They get a little upset but when Ameilia gives t5hema taste of her pie they decide to keep her. They learned that they must write undust the furniture, unlight the lights close the drapes and things like that.
Peggy Parish was an elementary teacher for almost fifteen years before she started writing children’s books. Parish wrote over forty children books including twelve of the Amelia Bedelia series. Peggy was inspired to write this book because of her students. She often found them literally doing the things she asked them to do. Amelia Bedelia is a story of a girl who takes everything they tell her and literally does them. Amelia Bedelia is very funny and clever. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to a teacher. Peggy’s way of writing will remind you of children at a young age and how you tell them to do something and they literally do it.
Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia. New York: Scholastics, 1993. 64 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Chapter book. Language: English
10. You Be Good and I’ll be night
This book is a poetry book for children about night time, jumping on the bed, eating corn bread, the sea, a ghost, swinging and jumping. The book has beautiful original poems that are wonderful for children. My favorite poem is the one about corn bread. It describes the texture of corn bread and different kinds of breads, from flaky biscuits to crunchy toast.
You be good and I’ll be night was written in 1988. Eve Merriam has written over 20 poem books. She received the Yale Younger Poets' Prize for the book Family circle. Merriam has also received the Star Fiction Award, and in 1977 the Obie Award. Eve is a play writer, teacher, lecturer, and a poetry. This is an excellent rhyming book that contains over twenty five poems. These poems are wonderful for young children. The use of language is magnificent any child would enjoy listening to these poems. I definitely recommend this book for teachers of young children.
Merriam, Eve. You be good at Night. New York: Mulberry, 1988. 40 Pages.Ages 4-8. Genre: Poetry. Language: English
[[image:file:C:%5CDOCUME%7E1%5CEmily%5CLOCALS%7E1%5CTemp%5Cmsohtmlclip1%5C01%5Cclip_image001.gif width="683" height="53" caption="Emily Lopez Annotated Bibliography 11-20"]]
The giver
The Giver is a book about a little boy who at the age of eleven is given the job of the receiver. Jonas is his name he lives in a Ethiopian world. Everyone has rules and must obey them or follow very strict consequences. Jonas lives with his mother, father an baby sister Lily. the book begins on how Jonas is remembering each birthday. All the children birthday born in that year are celebrated in December. On their first birthday they are given their name and age nine they are given a bicycle. Jonas needs to be trained to be the Receiver and no one has ever seen him only heard of him. Jonas starts his session's because he must receive all the information that the receiver has. The truth is that he knows the truth about the community he lives in and the outside reality. Jonas is not happy with this and at the end after he has received all the information he gets he decides to run away with Gabriel. Gabriel is a little boy who they are going to kill because he is not healthy and weighs less than he should.
The giver is truly an amazing book that is written so well. I have read this book a couple of times and every time I enjoy like its the first. Lois Lowry is a wonderful Author and has won two Newberry Medals. she was born in Honolulu, Hawaii. Lowry is the mother of Four. The giver is one of my favorite books from when I was little. It is also very sad many of the things mentioned in the book that they do to the babies and why they kill them.
Lowry, Lois. The Giver. China: Houghton Mifflin, 1993. 22o pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Contemporary Fantasy. Language: English
My side of the mountain
This is a survival story about an eleven year old boy who lives in New York. He lives in a small apartment with both his parents and eleven siblings. Sam is tired of living in the city. so one day he leaves and starts a new life in a tree in the woods by Gribley's old house in the woods. Sam learns how to hunt for food and start a fire. He also trains a falcon and name her Fightful. Frightful is his companion and helps him hunt for food. While living in the woods he meets a man who he believes is a criminal but it turns out he is a professor who gets lost. Sam helps him and feeds him. Sam learns to eat wildflowers, rabbit, venison, deer meat, frogs, turtles and he even finds carrots and wild potatoes and of course nuts. at the end of the story his whole family goes in search for him so they can too live in the woods.
This is truly a wonderful survival story. Jean Graighead George has a wonderful imagination. George's book On the other side of the mountain is a Newberry Honor book. I really enjoyed this book it was very interesting her style of writing is very unique and I believe that children would really enjoy reading this book. It would be a wonderful book to use for literature circles. The ending was a little sad because he was living alone so well he manages to survive all winter long.
George, Jean Craighead. My side of the Mountain. New York: Penguin Group, 2004. 192 pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Survival story. Language: English
Meet Josefina an American Girl
The story is about an American girl named Josefina, who lived in New Mexico, in the 1800’s. In that century New Mexico was part of Mexico and not the U.S.A. Josefina is a young girl who lost her mother. The story starts off when Josefina and her three older sisters’ were washing clothes and reminiscing about their mother. Then tia Dolores comes to visit them and they all get happy. Josefina is extra happy because she feels a connection with their mother. At the end of the story it is time for tia Dolores to continue with the caravan and all the girls are sad she is leaving. They ask their father to ask her to stay for a few months to teach them how to cook, clean, and the two middle sisters how to get along. Tia Dolores tells them that she must continue until she reaches Santa Fe, because she has not seen her mother in ten years but she promises them to return.
This is a beautiful story about a young Mexican girl who has lost her mother. It is beautiful because it incorporates historical facts about the way life was in the 1800’s. Josefina is a courageous girl who can inspire the children of today. The author is Valerie Tripp, she is married and with children. Valerie lives in Maryland but goes to New Mexico to get inspired and write more Josefina books. Valerie writes other books about American girls collection. Valerie has been named March of Dimes Mother of the Year has won International Reading Association, 1987, for Meet Molly: An American Girl, and the Children's Choice Award.
Tripp, Valerie. Meet Josefina an American Girl. United States of America: Pleasant Company, 1997. 85 pages. Ages 8-12. Genre: Historical Fiction. Language: English.
The lord of the flies
The lord of the flies is about a group of boys whose plan crashes on an island with no adult survivors. The first boys that find each other are Ralph and piggy. Ralph finds a conch and blows on it to find who else has survived. The boys start a fire and find food. One group governed by jack who is very aggressive and hunts pigs for food. Ralph with the help of piggy govern the rest of the boys and eat fruit and plants from trees. At the end Jack and his gang kill Piggy and are after Ralph to kill him too but that’s when a Navy officer discovers them because Jack set the island on fire.
This is a really good book. It is a perfect book to talk about humanities and what does it actually mean. The book has many double meanings that one must decode to fully understand the book. It is explicit about certain things. I would recommend it for older high school children. Golding received the 'Booker Prize' for his novel Rites of Passage. He was born in 1911 and died I 1993. The Lord of the Flies was the first novel he ever wrote.
Golding, William. The Lord of the Flies. New York: Berkley Publishing Group, a Division of Penguin-Putnam, 1954. 208 pages. Ages 13- up. Genre: Young adult. Language: English
Borreguita and coyote
Is a Mexican folk tale about a borreguita who outsmarts the coyote over and over until finally, the coyote learns his lesson.. The coyote wants to eat borreguita but she tricks. First she tells him that she is too skinny, let her eat more to get nice and thick. Then she tells him that cheese tastes much better why not eat that. But it was actually a reflection of the moon. The next time she tells him that the mountain is falling if he could hold it while she goes to get help. The last time she asks him to eat her whole and she crashes into him knocking him out.
This is a really nice folk tale retold by Verna Aardema. It takes place in Ayutla, Mexico, which is a little city in Mexico. Aardema is a picture book author. She has received the Caldecott medal for three of the books she has written. Aardema Lives in Florida along with her husband. Aardema is famous for retelling folk tales especially African American folk tales. I would definitely recommend this book to early elementary teachers. The moral of the story is really nice. The children would love to see how the borreguita outsmarts a coyote.
Aardema, Verna. Borreguita and Coyote. New York: Random House Inc., 1991. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Traditional literature. Language: English
Neighborhood Odes
The book is about different poems that relate to the authors neighborhood. The poems are based on a Mexican community. It has a poem about anything you can imagine in that community. It has one on raspas, la tortilla, sprinkler, perrito, a wedding, family pictures, and el molcajete to name a few. My favorite is ode to pomegranates. It is written with so much description and I can vividly imagine what the author is saying. He also uses a lot of comparing and the poems do not rhyme but they contain a story.
The author Gary Soto was born in Fresno California. He writes adult poems. Soto has recieved many awards for his work, to name a few he has received Tomás Rivera Prize, the Author-Illustrator Civil Rights Award from the National Education Association. He has also written the libretto for an opera and produced a movie. This is a really nice book that contains many childhood memories of Soto. I would definitely recommend this book to teachers. It can used to read out loud.
Soto, Gary. Neighborhood Odes. Orlando: Harcourt Inc., 2005. 68 pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Poetry. Language: English
10 Patitos de Goma
The book is a story about rubber ducks. It is based on a true story. In 1992 a shipment of 29,000 rubber ducks and animals fell in the ocean. The book starts the story by how the rubber ducks are made in a factory, packed into a box of ten, and shipped on a boat overseas. In the middle of the ocean there is a storm and one box falls over board and lets out ten rubber duck’s. The ducks all swim away indifferent locations but the last one is left there alone until a mother duck and her ducklings find him and take him to their nest.
Eric Carle is a wonderful author and illustrator. His stories are full of creativity and imagination. I really like this book it is written in Spanish. The translation is not the best but the story is wonderful. Eric received the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award in 2003 for this book The book even has a little button to press and hear the tenth rubber ducky say “quack.” I would definitely recommend this book to a teacher.
Carle, Eric. 10 Patitos de goma. China: Harper Collins, 2005. 36 pages. Ages 2-6. Genre: Picture book. Language: Spanish
Don’t bump the Glump!
Don’t bump the Glump is Shel Silverstein’s first poetry collection. The poems are silly and contain made up creatures. The poems may be two sentences long or two pages. The poems rhyme and are full of imagination. The first poem “glump” is about a glump who is wild and is coming home late at night and at the end it warns you not to bump the glump.
Shel Silverstein wrote many poetry books and children picture books. He was born in Chicago on September 30, 1930 he passed away in May 1999. He wrote songs, he was a cartoonist, wrote plays and a performer. He won a Grammy for a song he composed. He was truly an amazing author. I really enjoyed his book The giving tree. The story has a really nice moral to it. I would recommend this book as a must have in the classroom. It is a good book to get the children to laugh.
Silverstein, Shel. Don’t Bump the Glump. New York: Harper Collins, 1992. 64 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Poetry. Language: English
Tales of a fourth grade nothing
Tales of a fourth grade nothing is about a fourth grader named Peter. Peter has an annoying little three-year-old brother named fudge. Fudge is always bothering Peter and getting him in trouble. In the beginning Peter wins a pet turtle, which he names Dribble. It seems like Fudge is always getting away with everything. He messes with Mr. and Mrs. Juicy-o. He even wants to eat like a dog, so his dad tells him “eat it or wear it.” Then one day their father takes them to his job and Fudge is selected to be in their bicycle commercial. Fudge will not get on unless Peter gets on. At the end of the story Peter comes home from school and finds out that fudge ate his turtle. They immediately take him to the hospital and Fudge is ok except Dribbles is dead. Peter’s parents buy him a dog he names Turtle.
Judy Blume wrote this book in 1972 and this is the first book of the collection of Fudge. Judy Blume writes books for children but she has written three adult novels, which have been on the New York best sellers list. This is really nice story for young children to read. Many children can relate to Peter and probably feel the same way about their little brother or sister. Every child who I have asked about this book has told me they love it. I think its because they can relate to Peter. I would do a read aloud and every day read it for twenty minutes. Then I would have a short discussion.
Blume, Judy. Tales of a fourth grade nothing. New York: E.P. Dutton, 1972. 120 pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: Contemporary realistic fiction. Language: English
Youth in sexual ecstasy
This book is about a young man named Efren who likes to party and sleep around with women. In the beginning Efren goes to see a sex therapist, which turns out to be his father. Efren keeps going back to him because he helps him realize that his sex life is not a healthy way of living. Efren falls in love with Dhamar, Dr. Asaf’s secretary. The problem is Dhamar is a sweet innocent girl and Efren is not use to that kind of girl. With the help of Dr Asaf, Efren is able to change and marries Dhamar.
This book is originally written in Spanish, it was translated into English in 1997. Carlos Cuahtemoc is a Mexican author who writes books that transform lives. He was born in 1964. He writes books about family, forgiveness, faith and character. This is my favorite book by Sanchez there is a part two. Sanchez won el Premio Nacional de la Juventud en literatura given to him by the president of México. I would definitely recommend this book to all young adults. The message is very powerful.
Sanchez, Carlos Cuahtemoc. Youth in sexual ecstasy. Mexico: Topeka Bindery, 1997. 190 pages. Ages 15 and up. Genre: young adult. Language: English
Emily Lopez
1. Good night, Gorilla
Good Night, Gorilla is a picture book that contains only a few words throughout the story. The setting is at the zoo and the night guard is saying good night to the gorilla. While the guard is walking away the gorilla manages to takes the keys and unlocks the door to his cage. He decides to follow the guard as he says good night to each animal. As the guard says good night the monkey is unlocking the cage of each animal. The lion, giraffe, elephant, armadillo, and hyena all follow the guard back to his room to sleep with him and his wife. The wife hears the animals and takes them all back to their cage and onl;y returns with the gorilla.
Peggy Rathmann was born in 2953 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Peggy wrote Good Night Gorilla in 1994. Good Night Gorilla was on the Chicago Public Library, Best Books of the Year list, 1995. She also did the illustrations for the book. Rathmann Has received the Caldecott award and Publishers Weekly Cuffies Awards. I really enjoyed this book the story is very cute and I would definitely recommend it to primary classroom teacher. My favorite book by Rathmann is Ruby the copycat. Peggy has a unique way of writing; she is inspired by people or animals she has known.
Rathmann, Peggy. Good, Night, Gorilla. New York: G.P. Putnam's Sons, 1994. 34 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture book. Language: English
2. StellaLuna
StellaLuna is a beautiful story about a baby bat who is adopted by a family of birds. One night Stellaluna and her mother were flying together in search for food but an owl attacked them and Stellauna fell onto a limb and into the birds nest. The birds were very welcoming the mother bird fed Stellaluna and allowed her to sleep there. Stellaluna was different from the birds and she tried to teach the birds how to sleep hanging upside down and mother bird got really upset. Mother bird told Stellaluna that was wrong and that if she wanted to continue to live there then she must obey the rules. One day Stellaluna goes flying far, far away and looses the birds. This is when she finds her family and discovers her mother is alive. Stellaluna is very happy and so is her mother. Stellaluna is very thankful of her bird family and goes back to visit and show them how Bats sleep upside down and that they can see at night.
Janell Cannon was inspired to write when she did a reading program about bats, spiders, Komodo dragons, and snakes for a public library. When she went in search for books on bats she found out there was only 2 and that they were out of print. Cannon decided to write Stellaluna in 1993; her intention was to transform children’s terror of bats into affection. And make children aware that not all bats eat blood. Cannon has 2 other books Verdi and Trump. Stellaluna is a sad story that has a happy ending. The story that Cannon has created to inform children about bats is beautiful. I would consider this book a must have in any teachers library. It is also incorporates Stellaluna being adopted by a family of birds. This would be a great story to show how even animals adopt other babies that are not of the same race. I did a read aloud to a class of kindergartener’s with this book and they loved it. They all listened attentively and enjoyed how the story ended.
Cannon, Janell. Stellaluna. San Diego: Harcourt Inc, 1993. 46 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture story book. Language: English
3. Whose mouse are you?
This is a wonderful story that about a mouse and his family. The story is asking where his mother, father, sister and brother are. The mouse explains that his mother is inside the cat, his father is in a trap, his sister is far from home and he has no brother. Then he says he is going to shake his mother out of the cat, free his father, find his sister and wish for a brother. At the end the mouse tells how he is his mother’s, father’s, sister and now brother’s mouse too.
Robert Kaus wrote this book in 1970. Kaus is a wonderful author and illustrator. Before he became an author and illustrator Kraus was a cartoonist for The New Yorker. He has written Leo the Late bloomer, which I believe is a must have for any kindergarten teacher. The story Whose Mouse are you, has a wonderful family message. The mouse didn’t have a brother and he said he was going to get one and he did. The story is very short and it rhymes. The illustrations are fantastic.
Kaus, Robert. “Whose mouse are you? New York: Simon and shuster books for young readers, 2005. 40 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture book. Language: English
4. Sing, Pierrot, Sing
The story is about pierrot and how he day dreams about the princess all day. He decides to write a song for her. He cuts a rose from a tree and he plans to take it to her while he sings her his song. He patiently waits for night to come. Under the moonlight Pierrot sings to her and is accompanied by the cat, rabbit and dog. The people from the village hear him singing and they all go see. The princess comes out but to pierrot surprise as he throws her the rose the prince catches it. Pierrot gets really sad. He decides to climb up to the moon and sit on it but then the village people see him. They all go near the moon and sing his song to cheer him up. Then he decides to come down and dance along.
Tomie dePaola was born in 1934 in Connecticut. Tomie has illustrated more than 200 books. Tommie has written a third of them. Tomie has published his books in over 15 countries. Tomie has also designed greeting cards, posters, magazine, catalog covers, and has done illustrations for other events. The book Sing, Pierrot, Sing contains no words. It was illustrated by Tomie dePaola. Tomie illustrated the story and did a really good job. I would recommend this book to older children who can read and understand the pictures.
DePaola, Tomie. Sing, Perriot, Sing. New York: Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1983. 28 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture book. Language: None
5. Nappy Hair
Nappy hair is about a little girl named Brenda and her nappy hair. The story takes place in a backyard family picnic. Brenda’s uncle Mordecai told the story of how Brenda’s hair is the most nappiest, kinkiest, twisted, fuzziest, knotted up, tangled up, and twisted hair he has ever seen. It is a beautiful story, the uncle explains why god gave her that hair and how it is the most beautiful hair anyone has ever seen. At the end of the story everyone at the picnic wants her nappy hair.
Carolivia Herron has received the Paterson Prize in 1998 for the young people from poetry center, Marion Vanett Ridgeway a 1998 Honor book Award and Parenting Magazine in 1998 Reading Magic Award. Nappy Hair is told in the traditional African American Call and response. This is a magical book that is full of pride both in family and in Brenda’s heritage. I would definitely recommend this book the massage it has is very powerful. This is a wonderful book that a teacher can use to integrate multicultural. It is an excellent way for student of other ethnicities to understand why African Americans have their hair the way they do.
Herron, Carolivia. Nappy Hair. New York: Dragonfly Books, 1997. 32 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Picture story book. Language: English
6. Bullfrog at the Magnolia Circle
This book explains the life cycle of a bullfrog through a story. It tells how bullfrogs eat crayfish, sphinx moth and baby cricket frogs. At one point in the story the bullfrog is going to be eaten by a heron but a raccoon scares away the heron and the bullfrog by dropping the lid of a can. Bullfrog then begins his search for a mate he does this by croaking but first he must find a spot for his mate to lay her eggs. He chooses a water lily. Bullfrog will continue to croak until he is chosen.
Deborah Dennard I could not find any information about Deborah. I was able to see that she writes non-fiction book about animals. She has a series of animal books called Our Wild World. In these books she gives the characteristics of the animals. I really did not like this book; I believe that it’s for middle school aged children. The illustrations were nice but the story was explicit. I did not like how the bullfrog ate a baby cricket frog. I would not recommend this book to other teachers.
Dennard, Deborah. Bullfrog at the Magnolia Circle. Connecticut: Soundprints division of Trudy Corporation, 2002. 32 Pages. Ages 9-12. Genre: picture story book. Language: English
7. Let’s read about George Washington
This is the story of George Washington. George was born in 1732 in Virginia. George grew up on a farm. George had a lot brothers and sisters. He especially looked up to his older brother Lawrence. George was homeschooled. When George was 16 he went to live with his brother Lawrence. When George was 17 his job was to measure land using special tools. George fought against France and won the war. In 1759 He married Martha Custis. They moved to Mount Vernon. In 1775 George fought against England to free the thirteen colonies and in 1783 they won. George Washington became the first President of the United States in 1789. He is now known as the father of our country.
Kimberly Weinberger wrote this book in 2002 it is part of a series by scholastic. She is not a well known author; therefore I could not find information about her. I really loved this book she gave a very good biography on George Washington. Anyone could definitely benefit from reading this book. The book is an easy read chapter book. I like how she told the story of George Washington and in the end included how he is known as the father of our country. I would definitely recommend this book.
Weinberger, Kimberly. Let’s read about George Washington. New York: Scholastics, 2002. 29 Pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Non-Fiction. Language: English
8. Strega Nona
Strega Nona is a tale about an old lady who is a “grandma witch.” She cured people from headaches, made special potions for young women to find husbands and got rid of warts. One day she decided she was getting to old and needed someone to help her with the chores. She decided to place an ad help wanted. Big Anthony saw it and went to see her. Strega Nona hired him instantly and told him what his responsibilities were. She warned him never touch the pasta bowl. Big Anthony never paid much attention and one day he seen how Strega Nona sang to the magic pot and it would cook pasta. He went and told everyone in town but they all laughed at him. Then one day Strega Nona went o visit a friend and left him there all alone she reminded him not to tough the pasta pot and left. Big Anthony did not listen and began to make food for everyone. The town was amazed. He sang to the pot so it would stop and it wasn’t working, Big Anthony missed when Strega Nona blew 3 kisses in order for the pot to stop. Just then Strega Nona came and seen what was going on. She sang the song and blew three kisses and the pot stopped. The town wanted to hang him but Strega Nona said no Big Anthony must eat it all before bedtime. And he did.
Strega Nona is retold by Tomie dePaola and is also illustrated by him. Tomie is of Italian and Irish parents. Strega Nona is a tale of an Italian witch who possesses magical powers. This is also a wonderful book to integrate multicultural into the curriculum. The tale of an Italian witch is funny and educational. The moral is to pay attention to what people tell you and obey the rules. Big Anthony did not listen and wanted to show off he could do magic too, but to his surprise he did not do it right and Strega Nona found out. The story is really nice and the illustrations are so vivid.
DePaola, Tomie. Strega Nona. New York: Aladdin, 1975. 32 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Traditional Literature. Language English
9. Amelia Bedelia
Amelia Bedelia’s first day at work, Mr. and Mrs. Rogers have left a list of things to do. They tell her to do exactly what the list says and she does. Amelia Bedelia decides that she wants to surprise them with lemon-meringue pie. Then she begins with the list. Change the green bathroom towels so she decides to cut them. Next dust the furniture, Amelia finds a box of dusting powder and puts it allover the furniture. Then she must draw the drapes when the sun comes down. Amelia gets a pad and draws them. Then she reads put out the lights, so Amelia takes the bulbs and puts them out to air out. When Mr. and Mrs. Rogers get home they are in for a surprise. They get a little upset but when Ameilia gives t5hema taste of her pie they decide to keep her. They learned that they must write undust the furniture, unlight the lights close the drapes and things like that.
Peggy Parish was an elementary teacher for almost fifteen years before she started writing children’s books. Parish wrote over forty children books including twelve of the Amelia Bedelia series. Peggy was inspired to write this book because of her students. She often found them literally doing the things she asked them to do. Amelia Bedelia is a story of a girl who takes everything they tell her and literally does them. Amelia Bedelia is very funny and clever. I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it to a teacher. Peggy’s way of writing will remind you of children at a young age and how you tell them to do something and they literally do it.
Parish, Peggy. Amelia Bedelia. New York: Scholastics, 1993. 64 pages. Ages 4-8. Genre: Chapter book. Language: English
10. You Be Good and I’ll be night
This book is a poetry book for children about night time, jumping on the bed, eating corn bread, the sea, a ghost, swinging and jumping. The book has beautiful original poems that are wonderful for children. My favorite poem is the one about corn bread. It describes the texture of corn bread and different kinds of breads, from flaky biscuits to crunchy toast.
You be good and I’ll be night was written in 1988. Eve Merriam has written over 20 poem books. She received the Yale Younger Poets' Prize for the book Family circle. Merriam has also received the Star Fiction Award, and in 1977 the Obie Award. Eve is a play writer, teacher, lecturer, and a poetry. This is an excellent rhyming book that contains over twenty five poems. These poems are wonderful for young children. The use of language is magnificent any child would enjoy listening to these poems. I definitely recommend this book for teachers of young children.
Merriam, Eve. You be good at Night. New York: Mulberry, 1988. 40 Pages.Ages 4-8. Genre: Poetry. Language: English
Emily Lopez